Singapore-flagged bulk carrier "Mandy" catches fire in the hold at sea, resulting in 2 deaths

On February 17, a Singapore-flagged bulk carrier, the “Mandy” ship, caught fire in the engine room in the waters off Weihai, Shandong Province, losing power and drifting with the wind. Twenty-five foreign crew members were trapped onboard, with two fatalities and one injury. After receiving rescue information from the Shandong Maritime Search and Rescue Center, Beihai Rescue Bureau coordinated nearby rescue ships “Beihai Rescue 119,” “Beihai Rescue 203,” and the standby “Beihai Rescue 113” in Yantai to assist. Additionally, two rescue helicopters were dispatched for night operations. Around 10 p.m. on the 17th, the rescue helicopters and ships arrived at the incident site. The sea state was rough with 2-meter waves, and visibility was low at night. One rescue helicopter landed on the distressed vessel’s deck to carry out rescue operations, while another helicopter monitored the ship’s movements in real-time from the air, ready to respond to any emergencies. Because the ship’s helipad could only support 4 tons, less than the helicopter’s full load of 11 tons, the pilot adopted a “light landing” approach to minimize pressure on the deck. Lifeguards guided 16 crew members to quickly enter the engine room and then transfer to a safe area; the remaining crew members stayed on the “Mandy” ship. At around 2 a.m. on February 18, the fire on the “Mandy” was brought under control, with no visible flames in the engine room. The crew members remaining onboard discovered the bodies of two missing persons in the engine room. (CCTV News)